Different Approaches for Different People

There is a familiar description in the context of clothing – ‘one size fits all.’ The basic idea behind this expression is that there is product or approach that is intended to be suitable for everyone or every purpose. While this may be true in a few cases, generally it often means ‘one size fits none.’ When thinking about churches, I have always believed that it takes different types of churches to reach different kinds of people. Even communities, which on the surface may appear to be more similar than different, there are often factors which contribute to distinctive differences.  For this reason, there are multiple strategies for new churches. Here is a short list:

GEOGRAPHIC: Depending upon the demographics of those you are seeking to reach through your new church, there are basic best practices for deciding how far people will commute to church.

LANGUAGE: Many communities in Oregon have a significant population of Spanish speaking people. According to census.gov Oregon is 72.8% “white alone”; 14.9% Hispanic or Latino; 5.2% Asian; 2.4% Black and 1.9% Native American.

AFFINITY: There are successful church plants in the Pacific Northwest which have focused on bikers (Biker Church) and cowboys (Cowboy Church). There are examples of churches who effectively design their gatherings around specific worship music genres.

DINNER CHURCH: This is a more recent approach that has gained significant traction in the Northwest Ministry Network. Community Dinner Sweet Home is a wonderful example of this concept right here in the OMN. In Ocean Shores (WA), there is a 50-year-old autonomous A/G church that runs about 60. In the same community of 7,500, there is a Dinner Church that now runs over 100 and continues to grow.

There are other effective approaches: Micro Church; churches/campuses located in prisons/jails; and more. What we all know is that the Holy Spirit is not limited by what we have always done, and He can provide us with creative approaches to accomplishing the mission of a healthy church in every community.

If you are interested in starting a new church, whether as a parent church or planter, I would love to have a conversation with you.  Mark Robinson, OMN Church Planting Director – [email protected]